CHAPTER 28

GAIA

He led me down a flight of stairs with my hand in his and everything in me recoiled at his touch and I just wanted to remove my hand from his and just run away.

But I decided to be calm and just wait for the right moment.

He led me to a group of men who were laughing loudly. Almost everyone in this circle had white hair, was pot-bellied, and had a woman on his arm.

I kept telling myself not to mistakenly blurt out something because of my anger.

“Gentlemen, the kid has arrived.”

They all turned to look at him, and I watched him shrink in front of them. He looked so stiff.

“Good evening, gentlemen. I'm delighted to have been invited to dine with you.”

Nobody said anything and they noticed they all looked to one man for a response.

The man stepped forward, clutching a wine chute in one hand.

“Jacob, you made it.” He shook Mr Quinten's hand firmly, not letting his eyes waver for a moment. The air was intense.

He walked back to where he was standing before.

“Gentlemen, this